Brendan Rodgers has been speaking about his backroom staff at Celtic this season, highlighting the hard work they put in to support him at Lennoxtown and on the touchline.
Every good manager knows they need an elite support staff to help them find success and football clubs. Ange Postecoglou was always quick to point that out during his time at the club.
Rodgers has been no different and this weekend has given some insight into how the dynamics at Celtic work, also confirming that analyst Jack Lyons is in place working directly with the first-team squad.
Reports during the summer indicated that Lyons would be appointed in the wake of Rodgers’ arrival but it was never confirmed by the club, who have taken a pretty low-key approach to providing information on the manager’s entourage.
Lyons was at Celtic during Rodgers’ first spell at the Bhoys and worked as an opposition analyst, then followed him to Leicester City in 2019. He is now directly involved in shaping the direction of the first team.
Brendan Rodgers lauds Celtic staff
Rodgers said [The Scotsman]: “I have been impressed with all the coaches. John Kennedy is brilliant, and I saw that in my first spell. He is an outstanding coach and has an incredible thirst to continue learning and developing. He works as hard as I’ve ever seen anyone work in football. Besides all of that he is a good man. A very loyal man.
“I didn’t know Gavin and Harry. I met Harry prior to taking the job and had a chat with him at my house down south. And I have to say, for a player who was world class in his pomp, the commitment he has to being here at Celtic and helping all our wingers, he is very good. And I think former players like him give you that bit of gold dust. He shares that with the players and he is good for our team and gives a different viewpoint.
“Gavin is an excellent coach, very diligent and has lovely human qualities. He is always there for the players. And obviously Jack Lyons. I brought in Jack as a really young, talented coach who is analytically brilliant. He can analyse and present that to players too.”
Lyons got his big break at Celtic after writing an impressive online analysis blog, which was spotted by staff at the club and eventually Rodgers himself.
He was a popular member of the staff at Leicester and was once given an on-air shout-out by James Maddison for helping develop his attacking game at the Foxes, as well as credited by Rodgers. [Leicester Mercury]
The manager seems genuinely happy with the team he has in place and hopefully it all results in more success under his watch after an extraordinary trophy record in his first seasons at the Bhoys.
In other news, Celtic’s 11 games in 38 days; full schedule, injuries, TV details, predictions.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
